That was apparent following his first couple sentences to reporters at the 2016 NHL draft. He was comfortable being the center of attention and answered questions as if he was having a conversation. He wasn’t shy or tense like a lot of teenage draft picks who get thrown into the middle of a media scrum.

On the ice, Krys had shown a lot of similar traits. He had already been selected as a 17-year-old to play for the U.S. in the World Junior Championship, had been a top defenseman for the U.S. development program and was a blue-chip recruit for David Quinn at Boston University.

Without a first-round pick in 2016, the Blackhawks aimed to hit the jackpot with three second-round selections. They took Alex DeBrincat with the 39th pick, Krys at 45 and Artur Kayumov at 50. At the end of the day, the Blackhawks were ecstatic about their haul.